Information Board at Holmer Green Pond

Image: © David Hillas Taken: 17 Mar 2020

This information board which has been erected by the Holmer Green Village Society, is located at the junction of Earl Howe Road and Pond Approach. It has the following wording: Holmer Green Pond Left side Illustrations of: Hornbeam Yew Oak Larch Horse Chestnut Willow Archangel Bluebell Flag FLORA & FAUNA Between 1960 and 1980 the pond underwent several renovations which changed the topography and the flora and fauna. Reeds were removed, trees planted and wild fowl introduced. There are now many indigenous trees from Oak and Larch, adjacent to Pond Approach, to Hornbeam, Willow and Yew on the other side. In addition there are Horse Chestnut, Lawson's Cypress, Norway Spruce, Ash, Beech and Sycamore trees. Ground cover is mainly Ivy and Brambles, but there are also Yellow Archangel and Bluebells. In 2018 new water plants were introduced including Yellow Flag, Juncus and Carex. Moorhen, Mallard and a crossbreed of Mallard and Indian Rubber Duck are frequently seen on Holmer Green pond. In the lower left are illustrations of Moorhen, Mallard, Mallard/Rubber Duck whilst in the middle is an illustration of the pond itself. Right side HISTORY 'Holmer' was first recorded as 'Holeme' in 1208 and is probably Anglo Saxon in origin. Commonly thought to derive from 'mere hollow' which would refer to Holmer Pond, however the first official mention of the pond was in the 1578 Boundary Survey. Holmer Green is a mile from the river Misbourne and therefore this, and other local ponds, were a very important source of water for both farm animals and domestic use. Ducks were banned as they polluted the water. Photos of Holmer Green Pond taken in 1905, 1966, 1966, 1998, 2009 in a clockwise direction. HOLMER GREEN Holmer Green is named after the manor of Holmer that covered a significant part of the parish of Little Missenden in the Middle Ages. The early history of the village is essentially one of people moving out of Little Missenden over the centuries and settling on a large area of heath (now vanished) known as Wycombe Heath or Holmer Heath. The 'Green' part of the name refers to a large and ancient Green, probably dating from the 13th century that used to exist here but was reduced to a size of only 4 acres (1.6 ha) in 1854. In the hundred years between 1850 and 1950, the village became well-known locally for its cherry orchards, and there remain many references to orchards and cherries in road names and house names. In 2008 the village formerly celebrated 800 years of recorded settlement.

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